5 ms·

In the comment section of the travelogue, one of the authors of this post wrote the following in response to another's remark saying that what they had done was

In the comment section of the travelogue, one of the authors of this post wrote the following in response to another's remark saying that what they had done was very risky: First of all, I know that our trip was a risky experiment and in some way egoistic. However, if you have a difficult aim, you just must not think so much about the risks involved and about failing. A mountain climber also must not think about what might happen if he makes a wrong step and falls down. He has to concentrate his thoughts on how he can achieve his aim, otherwise he has already lost before starting. Adventures don't happen if you're too afraid. I think this summarizes what type of person the author is pretty well.

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
edge17 16y ago
Climbing mountains isn't foolhardy adventure. Success is getting back and the summit is only half way. Turning back is the part that takes courage and discipline, because the mountain will always be there. There's an inscription at Camp Muir on Rainier, at the foot of one of the glaciers, Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end. I don't disagree that maybe that's the type of person the traveler is, but I don't think mountain climbing is an apt analogy. Danger is always being assessed and never being ignored.
InclinedPlane 16y ago
Mountain climbers think a lot about what would happen if they took a wrong step or fell down. They spend a lot of time training for it, they spend a lot of money on equipment in preparation for it, and they spend a lot of effort setting up backup systems. When a mountain climber goes out on a glacier they typically do not go alone, with minimal equipment. They go in a team, each person wearing a harness and roped together. They each have an ice ax and have trained in self-arrest on snow and ice. If one person were to fall they have been trained to arrest themselves and save the faller by means of the rope. They may have practiced this many times. If one climber were to fall into a crevasse they will arrest, set up anchors, and set up a rescue system (using pulleys and extra gear that they have brought). Meanwhile, if the climber in the crevasse is still conscious he or she will attempt to do what they can to aid in their own rescue (up to and including ascending the rope). And this is just a small part of the training and preparation that experienced mountaineers take on when they set out to climb a mountain. It does nevertheless take a good deal of courage and determination to work your way up a glaciated mountain, but the idea that there is no safety net or that the climbers do not think what will happen if things go bad is very misleading. It is perhaps the single most pressing topic of thought for any mountaineer.
- wrl 16y ago
  Of course climbers think about and prepare for falling and other dangerous scenarios. In the "heat of the moment," though, too much mind paid to the negative can certainly outweigh concentration on the positive. In the same way that nauseating conversation can disrupt a meal, I've had a few of my attempts at technical bouldering problems disrupted by friends conversing nearby about climbing injuries. In one case, hearing talk about dislocated shoulders and elbow injuries while I was working on a problem involving odd shoulder and elbow orientation made progress very difficult.
- VBprogrammer 16y ago
  I think the central argument of the author was that despite the huge dangers involved in climbing a mountain people do it regardless. The author could have stayed at home or gone on a package holiday to some sunny Caribbean island but that would have not been nearly as unique or as personally fulfilling. I feel that the danger of doing this trip was probably miss represented, overwhelmingly the experience of people who undertake huge journeys tends to be that the majority of people the world over are kind and generous. This is often truest of people who have the least.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

edge17 16y ago

Climbing mountains isn't foolhardy adventure. Success is getting back and the summit is only half way. Turning back is the part that takes courage and discipline, because the mountain will always be there. There's an inscription at Camp Muir on Rainier, at the foot of one of the glaciers, Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end. I don't disagree that maybe that's the type of person the traveler is, but I don't think mountain climbing is an apt analogy. Danger is always being assessed and never being ignored.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

Mountain climbers think a lot about what would happen if they took a wrong step or fell down. They spend a lot of time training for it, they spend a lot of money on equipment in preparation for it, and they spend a lot of effort setting up backup systems. When a mountain climber goes out on a glacier they typically do not go alone, with minimal equipment. They go in a team, each person wearing a harness and roped together. They each have an ice ax and have trained in self-arrest on snow and ice. If one person were to fall they have been trained to arrest themselves and save the faller by means of the rope. They may have practiced this many times. If one climber were to fall into a crevasse they will arrest, set up anchors, and set up a rescue system (using pulleys and extra gear that they have brought). Meanwhile, if the climber in the crevasse is still conscious he or she will attempt to do what they can to aid in their own rescue (up to and including ascending the rope). And this is just a small part of the training and preparation that experienced mountaineers take on when they set out to climb a mountain. It does nevertheless take a good deal of courage and determination to work your way up a glaciated mountain, but the idea that there is no safety net or that the climbers do not think what will happen if things go bad is very misleading. It is perhaps the single most pressing topic of thought for any mountaineer.

wrl 16y ago
Of course climbers think about and prepare for falling and other dangerous scenarios. In the "heat of the moment," though, too much mind paid to the negative can certainly outweigh concentration on the positive. In the same way that nauseating conversation can disrupt a meal, I've had a few of my attempts at technical bouldering problems disrupted by friends conversing nearby about climbing injuries. In one case, hearing talk about dislocated shoulders and elbow injuries while I was working on a problem involving odd shoulder and elbow orientation made progress very difficult.
VBprogrammer 16y ago
I think the central argument of the author was that despite the huge dangers involved in climbing a mountain people do it regardless. The author could have stayed at home or gone on a package holiday to some sunny Caribbean island but that would have not been nearly as unique or as personally fulfilling. I feel that the danger of doing this trip was probably miss represented, overwhelmingly the experience of people who undertake huge journeys tends to be that the majority of people the world over are kind and generous. This is often truest of people who have the least.